Apparatus for protecting workers against dust and the like



y 29, 1952 D. H. LOOSLI ET AL ,8

APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING WORKERS AGAINST DUST AND THE'LIKE Filed April 2'7, 1950 2 SI-IEETSSHEET1 IN V EN TORS ,Dz'mandELaosl a ,Donald L.Loasli,

ATTOR;EY

July 29, 1952 D. H. Loosu ET AL APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING WORKERS AGAINST DUST AND THE LIKE Filed April 27, 1950 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

IN V EN TORS ,fiz'molzah. Loos Z a an ATTOR EY Patented July 29, 1952 UNITED STATES E Q F B- f APPARATUS FOR PROTECTING WORKERS, q AGAINST DUST AND THE LIKE I Dimond H. 'Loosli and Donald 'L. Loosli, Idaho Falls, Idaho, assignors to D. H. Loosli 00., Inc.,

Idaho Falls, Idaho, a corporation of Idaho 7 Application April 27, 1950, Serial No. 158,454

The inventionrrelates to dust protection apparatus, and has ior its principal object the provision of .a relatively simple, inexpensive and effective mechanismfor protecting workers operins down; and r:

6 Claims. (Cl. 98-115) Fig. is an enlarged vertical sectional view through one of thehelmets and mantles, taken on the plane indicated by theline 5-5 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

ating in a highly dust ladenatmos'phere against 5 Referring to the drawings in greater detail, entry of the dust particles into their eyes, ears the apparatusas there shown comprises a bracket and nasal and oral passagesgas well as substanll) adaptedto be secured by bolts H to a support tially eliminating deposit of such particles upon it, such for example as the frame of a machine their features and in their hair. While priadjacent which a person is to perform duties in marily intended for use in operations such as an atmosphere laden with dust or finely divided threshing, hay baling, plant or orchard dusting, particles of liquid. An angle iron I3 is secured sand blasting, etc. where the air-carried matter to the bracket [8 by a bolt [4, providing an upisin the form of 'dry solids, theapparatus may right standard of suitable length, A bracket l5 also be employed to advantage where the airis secured by a bolt. [6 to an intermediate porborne matter is liquid, asin paint and insecticide tion of the standardl3, suchbracket. having a p y ng. j pair of laterally spaced ears ll anda horizontal Essentially, the apparatus"comprises 'a fan or leg l8 to the under side of which is secured the blower driven by .anelectric'motorend having housing of a centrifugal fan or blower l8. the a suitable 'filterfldeviee connected to its intake. rotor of which is driven by an electric. motor The fan casing hasoneiormore'outlets,from'each 2e secured to and carried by the blower housing. of which. a flexible tubing orhoseextends to The axially disposedintake of the blower comthe top of a metallic il elmet; from the brim of municates with a passage 2! which extends which depends a fabric mantle or hood, open through the bracket leg [8 and a circular boss 22 at the. bottom andh'avi'nga transparent window provided on the upper face thereof; and the inits wall throughjwhich. the wearer may look. blower housing [9 has one or more (here shown In the specific exemplification illustrated in the as two) tangential outlets 23 from each of which accompanying drawingsforming a part of this a flexible tubing or hose 24 extends to the top of specification, the aiorementioned elements have a helmet 25.

associated withlthemfa support arranged to be Seated upon the bracket leg I 8, and slidably readily attachedito' anddetached from various 33 encircling the boss 22 thereof is the lower end machines byih pp smfly b eas y of a vertical pipe 26 constituting a filter casing, transferred fromo'ne field of operation to anwithin which is disposed a filter .element '21 of o also, adju ta h y ldable.suspension any suitable construction, here shown as commeans for carryingt e tub ngs and helmets, rising a tube of foraminous material, open at whereby the p Or s rgely relieved of the its upper end and closed at its lower end. The we t t r f-without undueinterference with said filter eiemeht passes through and has its his movements while performing his duties. upper end supported by an annular flange 28 These, as well as other novel details of construcwith which the upper end of the casing 26 is tion will be more fully hereinafter described. provided, which flange also supports a readily III the Said in i which l e r e ce removable cap 29 normally retained in spaced charactersv designate like parts in all the views: position thereon by nut and bolt devices 30 (see Figure 1' is a front elevational View of one form Fig. 2). Vertical and lateral displacement of Of p us constructed in accordance with the the filter assembly is prevented by a bracket 31 invention; i 1 r i v secured to the upper end of the-standard l3 by Fig. 2 is a somewhat enlarged sectional-e evaa bolt 32 and having a horizontal leg-33- which t nal vi w f the pa s sh wn n Fig. 1, taken is provided with a semi-circular clamping mempp mat ln th p es i ca by the lin ber 34 hinged to the leg at 35 and normally re- 22 of said figure, looking,inthedirection of the tained in clamping engagement'with the upper arrows; i r portion of the tube =26 bya toggle-locking latch F 3 is an enlarged cross sectional V ew, 011 36, all as will be clear from Figs.'2 and 3. By the plane indicated by thellne 3-3 'of Fig. releasing the latch 36 and swinging the clamping looking down;- X member 36 on its pivot. 35,. thefilter casing 26 Fig. 4 is a view-similar to Fig. 3, but taken on i may be lifted from itsiseat on bracket arm l8 the plane indicated by the line 4.-4 of Fig. 1,v 5 land the filter elemen't'ill withdrawn therefrom i) for cleaning or replacement. s

Each of the ears ll of bracket mounts an arm 39, comprising a short lower member pivotally attached to the ear by a bolt 4|, a helical spring 42 one end of which embraces and is secured to said member 40, and an elongated rod 43, the lower end of which is embraced by and secured to the other end of said spring. The bolts 4| may be tightened to retain the members 40 in any desired angular position between the vertical and the horizontal; and as indicated at the right of Fig. 1, a space is left between the ends of the short member 40 and rod 43 whereby, through the flexible connection'provided between these elements by the spring 42, the rod may be swung out of axial alinement with the member, with the spring however, tending to normally maintain such alinement.

Clamps 44 are adjustably secured on the rods 43 and carry straps 45 which encircle and support the tubings 24, as will be readily understood from Figs. 1 and 2. The outer end portions of the rods 43 are provided with a series of apertures 46 which alternatively receive one end of the helical springs 41, the other end of which engages the straps 48 which encircle and support the tubings 24 adjacent the helmets 25, which thus are resiliently suspended from the rods. Chains 49 extend'between the clamps 44 and anchor bolts 50 carried by the bracket 3|, and permit fore-and-aft swinging of the rods about the resilient connections42 while at the same time preventing vertical sag of the rods under the weight of the helmets '25 and tubings 24.

As best shown in Fig. 5, the tops of the helmets are provided with a nipple 5| to which the end of the tubing 24 is clamped; and a deflector plate 52 is attached to the crown of the helmet and prevents the incoming current of air from directlystriking the head of the wearer, providing a duct or passage .53 extending forwardly from the nipple 5| to the region of the sweatband 54 where it discharges the air in front of the faceof the operator. A fabric mantle or hood 55 is secured around the brim 56 of the helmet by an elastic band, draw-string or the like, and its forward wall is provided with a glass, plastic or other transparency 51 through which the wearer may view his surroundings.

In the form shown the apparatus is useful in many agricultural operations, such as harvesting, threshing hay chopping and baling, etc., where workers perform their duties adjacent machines which create highly dust-charged atmospheres. The device may be readily transferred from one machine to another as occasion may require, and the flexibility. of the suspension of the helmets enables the Workers to move about sufiiciently to perform their duties while at the same time relieving them of much of the weight.

The apparatus also may be readily converted into a portable protector, to be carried on the back of the worker. When so used, the standard I3 is detached from the bracket I0, one of the rods 43 together with the tubing 24 and helmet 25 associated therewith is removed, the outlet duct 23 of the fan which normally supplies such unit is plugged, and the remaining rod 43 adjusted to a substantially vertical position. The apparatus is then placed on the workers back, with the chains 49 passing over his shoulders to retain it in position, and the helmet placed upon his head. When so equipped the field of the workers operations is limited only by the length of the electric cable 60' which supplies current to the motor 20.

Of course. if the device is originally constructed as a single unit apparatus, the removal of parts just indicated will not be necessary to adapt it for portable use; and when used as a portable" the helmet suspension spring 41 may be removed if desired.

While one form of the invention has been illustrated and described by way of example, it will be obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction and precise arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore it is not extending from said discharge passage; a helmet adapted to be worn by a worker operating adjacent the apparatus, said helmet having a mantle depending therefrom and being connected to said flexible conduit whereby air from said blower maybe discharged into the interior of the helmet; and means for supporting said helmet and conduit whereby to in part relieve the worker of the weight thereof, comprising an arm extending from said support and having the helmet and conduit suspended therefrom, said arm having a flexible connection with the support accommodating movements of the arm, helmet and conduit in substantially all directions whereby the Worker may ,move from place to place in the vicinity of the apparatus.

2. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a support; a motor driven blower carried by said support, having an intake and a discharge passage; -an air filter connected to said intake; a flexible air conduit connected to and extending from said discharge passage; a helmet adapted to 'be worn by a worker operating adjacent the apparatus, said helmet having a mantle depending therefrom and being connected to said flexible conduit for discharge of air from said blower into the interior of the helmet; an arm extending from said support for yieldably suspending said helmet and conduit to in part relieve the worker of the weight thereof, said arm having a resilient connection with the support which accommodates movements of the arm, helmet and conduit in substantially all directions, whereby the worker may move from place to place in the vicinity of the apparatus; means connecting the conduit to said arm; and resilient means suspending the helmet from the arm.

3. Apparatus of the class described, comprising a support; a motor driven blower carried by said support, having an intake and a discharge passage; an air filter connected to said intake; a flexible air conduit connected to said discharge passage; a helmet connected to said conduit for discharge of air from the blower to the interior of the helmet; an arm extending from the support, comprising a pair of axially spaced and alined members having a helical spring embracing their adjacent ends to provide a resilient connection between them normally maintaining such alinement but permitting their misalinement under strain, one of said members being pivotally attached to the support for vertical swinging adjustment of the arm relative thereto; means carried by the arm and engaging a portion of the conduit to support the latter; a helical spring resiliently suspending the helmet from the arm; and connections between the arm and support preventing vertical sag oi the arm about its said resilient connection while accommodating horizontal swing about such connection.

4. Apparatus of the class described, comprising a support; a motor driven blower carried by said support, having an intake and a discharge passage; an air filter connected to said intake; a flexible air conduit connected to' said discharge passage; a helmet connected to said conduit for discharge of air from the blower to the interior of the helmet; an arm extending from the support and comprising a pair of normally axially alined members having a resilient connection between them tending to maintain such alinement but permitting their misalinement under strain, one of said members being pivotally attached to the support for vertical swinging adjustment relative thereto; a clamp device adjustably mounted on the arm; means carried by said clamp device and engaging a portion of the conduit to support the latter; means yieldably suspending the helmet from the arm; and connections between the clamp device and support preventing vertical sag of the arm about its said resilient connection while accommodating horizontal swing about such connection.

5. Apparatus oi the class described, comprising an upright standard; a bracket secured to said standard; a motor driven blower carried by said bracket, having an intake and a discharge passage; a tubular filter casing removably mounted on said bracket and communicating with said blower intake; an air-filter element in said casing; a second bracket secured to the standard in longitudinally spaced relation to the first mentioned bracket and having a clamping member engageable with the filtercasing where- 6 by to prevent displacement of the latter from said first bracket; a flexible air conduit connected to the discharge passage of the blower; and a helmet connected to said conduit for discharge of air from the blower to the interior oi the helmet.

6. Apparatus of the class described, comprising an upright standard; a bracket secured to said standard; a motor driven blower carried by said bracket, having an intake and a discharge passage; a tubular filter casing removably mounted on said bracket and communicating with said blower intake; an air-filter element in said casing; a second bracket secured to the standard above the first mentioned bracket and having a pivoted member engageable with the filter casing; connections between the second bracket and its said pivoted member for drawing the latter into and maintaining it in clamping engagement with the filter casing, whereby to prevent displacement of the latter from the first bracket; a flexible air conduit connected to the discharge passage of the blower; and a helmet connected to said conduit for discharge of air from the blower to the interior of the helmet.

DlMOND H. LOOSLI. DONALD L. LOOSLI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,841,347 Tuttle Jan. 12, 1932 2,096,262 Roth Oct. 19, 1937 2,436,508 Fairbanks Feb. 24, 1948 2,478,498 Myers Aug. 9, 1949 

